NL West

Now Commenting On:

Frieri's pitching repertoire evolving

Email

Print

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Ernesto Frieri's desire to be more than a one-pitch pitcher officially began on Saturday, when he threw a scoreless inning of relief at Maryvale Baseball Park.

This spring, Frieri is looking to broaden his repertoire after relying almost entirely on a live fastball -- and struggling with an unreliable slider -- while serving as the Angels' closer in 2012. He's starting to integrate a cutter and, to a lesser extent, working to hone his changeup.

The 27-year-old right-hander hardly threw either pitch against the Brewers on Saturday.

"In my first outing, I want to work on my fastball, first and foremost, throw strikes, get my mechanics in order and that's it," Frieri said pregame -- but Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes what he's seen from his other pitches so far.

"[The cutter] looks like a pretty legitimate slider when he throws it," Scioscia said after Frieri gave up only one hit in the Angels' eventual 4-3 loss. "He gets a little bit of depth to it, and [pitching coach Mike Butcher] really thinks his changeup is coming along. So I think his ability to change speeds is something that's going to help him."